Sunday, July 21, 2013

Stories ... We all have one ...

Isaiah
20:2-At that time the Lord spoke by
Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist
and take off your sandals from your feet,” and he did so, walking naked
and barefoot.

In this passage God sends Isaiah to give a warning to
Israel.In addition to using words, God
instructs Isaiah to do something more.God instructs him to walk naked and barefoot for three years!Certainly, Isaiah felt uncomfortable about
what he was being called to do, but remained obedient.The message, Isaiah was delivering far
outweighed the embarrassment of being uncovered.

Sometimes when we feel the prompting of God’s Spirit to
share how Jesus has changed our lives we may feel uncomfortable with what God
is asking us to do.We may feel
embarrassed or ashamed to “expose” our past to others for fear that we may be
ridiculed or rejected if people knew what we would rather keep hidden.

We all have parts of our lives we are ashamed of, ways of
life that we have turned from because of what Jesus has done in us.It’s been said everyone has a story of their
faith journey, and that every story is part of God’s story.God’s story is not meant to remain hidden,
but shared.When we share our past with
others in the light of how Jesus transformed us, we share with them the truth
that God loves us as we are, but does not want us to remain in the shame of our
past.It is through Jesus that we are
forgiven and set free!

Ponderings for
reflection …

*What in my life has
changed because of Jesus?

*Have I ever shared
that with anybody?

*With whom can I share the story of how Jesus changed
me?(If you feel uncomfortable, share
with a pastor or another trusted Christian.)